ATTACKS ON MUSLIMS BY CONSERVATIVE PROTESTANTS:

Graham, Hinn, Falwell, Robertson, Swaggart & Baldwin

Franklin Graham is the son of Billy Graham -- arguably the best known
Evangelical Christian leader in the U.S.

2001-OCT: At the dedication of a chapel near Wilkesboro,
NC in his parents' name, Graham is quoted as having expressed essentially
the same views as he later did on NOV-16(see below).He later issued a statement to the Charlotte Observer
saying "It is not my calling to analyze Islam or any other religions,
though I recognize that all religions have differences. In the past, I
have expressed my concerns about the teachings of Islam regarding the
treatment of women and the killing of non-Muslims or infidels." 1

2001-NOV-16: According to MSNBC, Franklin Graham appeared on
the NBC Nightly News, commenting on Islam. He allegedly said: "We're
not attacking Islam but Islam has attacked us. The God of Islam is not the
same God. He's not the son of God of the Christian or Judeo-Christian
faith. It's a different God, and I believe it [Islam] is a very evil and
wicked religion." This statement is confusing because he seems to
imply that Jews believe that Jesus is the son of God -- a belief that is
contrary to historical Jewish belief. He
continued: "I donít believe this is a wonderful, peaceful religion.
When you read the Koran and you read the verses from the Koran, it
instructs the killing of the infidel, for those that are non-Muslim."
When asked by NBC News to clarify his statement, Graham repeated his
charge that Islam, as a whole, is an evil. "It wasnít Methodists flying
into those buildings, it wasnít Lutherans. It was an attack on this
country by people of the Islamic faith."
NBC news contacted Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson and other Christian
leaders. None would would comment on Grahamís attacks. Ken Woodward,
Newsweek religion editor, said: "Obviously, Mr. Graham is tone deaf in
this respect. Heís certainly not his fatherís son in
terms of discretion." 2

2001-NOV-19: On NOV-19, Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), sent Graham a letter stating, in part,
"I would therefore respectfully request a meeting during which
recognized Muslim scholars may offer you information about Islam,
particularly Islam's stance on the rights of women and minorities, that is
free of bias and distortions. At this time of national and international
crisis, it is imperative that we come together as people of faith to
promote inter-religious understanding and mutual respect." There
has been no indication that he has responded to the request.

2001-NOV-20: In his NOV-20 column, conservative Chuck Baldwin commented: "The one
bright light in all of this is Franklin Graham...As you can imagine, Mr. Graham
has been vilified and demonized, not only by liberals in the media but also by
cowardly Christians and conservatives. However, Franklin Graham has thus far
demonstrated the kind of grit not seen in a long time on the national stage: he
refuses to surrender or apologize for his convictions. God bless him! He is a
breath of fresh air, and he gives me something for which to be thankful because
the record shows that Christians and conservatives (not to mention the
Constitution) have been Bush-whacked." 3

2002-AUG: Graham "said during an interview that Muslims
hadn't sufficiently apologized for the terrorist attacks ó and he
challenged Muslim leaders to offer to help rebuild Lower Manhattan or
compensate the families of victims to show they condemn terrorism." 4 He followed this with a series of remarks about
Islam and Muslims as he promoted his new book: "The Name." In that
book, he wrote that: "Islam ó unlike Christianity ó has among its basic
teachings a deep intolerance for those who follow other faiths."

2002-SEP: During an interview with Beliefnet.com, he said that
after the terrorist attacks: "there was this hoo-rah around Islam being
a peaceful religion ó but then you start having suicide bombers, and
people start saying, 'Wait a minute, something doesn't add up here.' " 4

2002-OCT-28: ABCNEWS.com commented that the "Virginia-based
Family Policy Network, encouraged members to 'thank Franklin Graham for
his faithfulness to Christ in the face of criticism.' " 4

2003-APR-13:According to the Muslim Public
Affairs Council, a "progressive voice for American Muslims," the
Pentagon arranged to sponsor Franklin Grayam at a Good Friday prayer
service on APR-18. Members of the
Pentagon's chaplain group issued a letter stating that: "...we are
deeply dismayed and disappointed that the Pentagon Chaplain's Office has
invited Mr. Franklin Graham, an extremely controversial and divisive
figure, to perform the Good Friday Services at the Pentagon on April 18,
2003. Mr. Graham has made recent public statements that are not only
insulting and offensive to Muslims but also to those who espouse ecumenism
among the faith groups. Mr. Graham's negative statements concerning Islam
and Muslims, which he has never recanted, fly in the face of what we stand
for as Americans. By sponsoring and promoting a visit to the Pentagon by
an extreme fundamentalist like Mr. Graham, the Pentagon Chaplain's Office
is sending a message that it and the Department of Defense condone public
displays of attitudes and thoughts that contradict not only Department of
Defense regulations but also the American ideal of religious tolerance. We
hope and pray that the Pentagon Chaplain's Office will reconsider its
invitation to Mr. Graham and instead invite a more inclusive and honorable
Christian clergyman to perform the Good Friday Services." 5

Benny Hinn proclaimed to thousands of Christians at the American Airlines
Center in Dallas, TX that "We are on God's side. This is not a war
between Arabs and Jews. It's a war between God and the devil." Several
conservative Christian ministers from the Dallas area, who shared the podium,
clapped and nodded their approval. Later, a few of them said that the line
between Christians and Muslims is the difference between good and evil.

Most of the Dallas pastors who joined Benny Hinn on the stage refused to be
interviewed or to respond to faxed questions asking whether they endorsed Hinn's
remarks. However, some religious leaders reacted to the speech:

Ibrahim Hooper, spokesperson for the Dallas
chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) was
distressed. He said: "The demonizing of Islam. The actual call for the
elimination of Islam. It's disturbing."

Ronald Flowers, a religion professor at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth said that the [religious]
shift to the right among Christians can be traced to the same political
drift toward conservatism. He said: "It's a search for certainty in an
uncertain world. The fact that Muslims and Christians worship the same God
seems to escape these people."

J. Don George, senior pastor of Calvary
Temple in Irving, TX, accompanied Hinn on stage. He said: "Our
faith is in Jesus Christ, and the Muslim community does not accept Jesus
and God, and therefore we're at odds with Muslims....Any religion or
ideology that refuses to acknowledge the lordship of Jesus Christ could be
typified as a war against Satan."

Paul Mills, pastor of Arlington Faith Chapel, said that
Muslims would find Hinn's statement inappropriate. However, their
complaints would be irrelevant because Jesus is the only way to heaven. He
said: "The religion [of Islam] is a false religion as far as we
believe."

Brent Arterbury, pastor of Life Church in Haltom City, is
sometimes critical with Hinn, especially over his alleged refusal to be
financially accountable. But Arterbury said that he agrees that Christians
are engaged in a spiritual war. He said: "From a biblical standpoint, I
have to agree that there is good and there is evil. From that standpoint,
I believe what he said is in line with what the Scriptures say." He
added that Islam "is a very destructive type of faith....They're a
revengeful people....We as Christians don't despise the Muslims. We love
them. We just don't like what they stand for."

Dr. Nasir Ahmad, an imam with the Muslim American Society in
Dallas. He said that Arterbury's comments are irresponsible and that his
statement is untrue. He added that the nature of Islam is peace. Ahmad
said: "In the Torah and the Bible you can pick out a sentence, pick out
many things distasteful to even the adherents of that faith....At least I
have the integrity to quote the [Christian] religion correctly." He
added that "There are demigod leaders in politics, religion and
education that play upon the blind emotions of the masses. He's playing on
the emotions of the people. Those persons [Hinn preaches to] are kept in
the dark and out of light of what's really going on."

"Ike" Cowell, pastor of Grace Evangelical Methodist Church in
Fort Worth, said one can expect that dialogue between Christians and
Muslims would involve some difference of opinion but should involve some
outreach and be based on mutual respect. He said: "I would not be
combative myself. I would want there to be a dialogue, to hear what they
have to say. All I know about [Muslims] is what I read or hear."

Pat Robertson broadcast a message during his Christian Broadcasting
Network news program on 2002-NOV-11. According to the media: "In his remarks, Christian preacher and conservative commentator Pat
Robertson said Muslims were bent on exterminating Jews..." 8 Robertson is reported as saying:
"Somehow I wish the Jews in America would wake up, open their eyes and read
what is being said about them...This is worse than the Nazis...Adolf Hitler was bad, but what the Muslims
want to do to the Jews is worse." In an apparent reaction to both
Jewish and Muslim anti-hate groups, he said that those who had criticized him in
the past -- people whom he called "so called doves" -- did not understand
the situation. He continued:
"If I say something that Islam is, you know, an erroneous religion, then I
get criticized by the Anti-Defamation League. You just want to say: 'When are you going to open your eyes and see who
your enemy is.' Those people want to destroy Jews.' " The Anti-Defamation
League (ADL) is arguably the most prominent and active Jewish anti-hate
agency.

On NOV-12, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) denounced
Robertson's remarks as consisting of "lies, distortions and outright bigotry."
CAIR Spokesperson Hodan Hassan said "It's a shame coming from someone who
claims to be a man of the cloth...He is doing a lot more to increase tensions and maybe violence among
different ethnicities and religions than sowing the seeds of peace."
Referring to two passages from the Qur'an, she said that Robertson was using them
"deceitfully." She continued:
"It's outlandish and a total distortion." She noted that the Qur'an contains numerous calls for inter-faith harmony and demands
that Muslims respect other religions. 8

2002-OCT-6: Jerry Falwell accused of hate speech: The Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) issued a statement on
OCT-14 asking that President Bush distance himself from statements by
three Fundamentalist Christian leaders: "Jerry Fallwell, Pat Robertson,
and Franklin Graham BY NAME." The statement reads in part: "Jerry
Fallwell called the founder and revered prophet of Islam, Muhammed, a
'terrorist' on CBS's '60 Minutes' on Sunday, October 6. In so doing,
Fallwell set off a firestorm in the American Muslim community to which
MPAC responded. Fallwell's comments came on the heels of a slew of other
vicious attacks lodged by the radical sector of the Evangelical Christian
denomination...The Reverend Franklin Graham called Islam a 'very evil and
wicked religion' and said the Qur'an, Islam's revealed text, 'preaches
violence.' Pat Robertson said Islam is a 'monumental scam' and claimed the
prophet Muhammad was 'an absolute wild-eyed fanatic...a robber and
brigand...a killer.' Robertson's 700-Club regularly features highly
inflammatory programming that promotes bigotry against Muslims."
[Spelling corrected] MPAC
repeatedly challenged Rev. Falwell to a public debate but, as of OCT-14,
had not received any response. MPAC urges that Americans write the
President at president@whitehouse.gov9

At about 39 minutes into a 2002-NOV-10 broadcast, televangelist Jimmy
Swaggart referred to the Prophet Muhammad as a "sex deviant," "pervert,"
and "pedophile." According to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), "He also called for the expulsion of all foreign Muslim university
students in the United States and for profiling of airline passengers 'with a
diaper on their head and a fan-belt around their waist.' Of American Muslims,
Swaggart said: 'We ought to tell every other Moslem (sic) living in this nation
that if you say one word, you're gone.' " 10,11

In a 2002-DEC-13 attack on President Bush, religious commentator Chuck
Baldwin wrote (in part): "President Bush has repeatedly demonstrated colossal
ignorance of Biblical truth. The latest example of this ineptness occurred just
recently as Bush gushed over the Muslim religion during Ramadan."

"While worshipping at the Islamic Center of Washington, Bush remarked, 'Islam
traces its origins back to God's call on Abraham. And Ramadan commemorates the
revelation of God's word in the Holy Koran to the prophet Mohammed.' "

"Does Mr. Bush not realize that the Holy Bible, not the Koran, is the one and
only written revelation of God to man? Is he that ignorant of Christian
teaching? Or, was he deliberately denying Christian doctrine in order to curry
favor with his Muslim hosts?..."

"Even more disturbing is the manner in which Christian ministers have accepted
Bush's apostasy. At the national level, only Pat Robertson and Franklin Graham
seem willing to correctly identify the Muslim religion for what it is: a
religion of violence and hatred...." 12